Saitama Tokorozawa City
An open-air bath embraced by trees that are 100 years old, and a natural hot spring flowing directly from the source
"Tokorozawa Onsen Yurakunosato" is a day-use hot spring facility in Tokorozawa City, Saitama Prefecture. The open-air area is surrounded by towering keyaki and kashi trees that are over 100 years old, and if you soak up to your shoulders and look up, the branches and leaves seem to cover the sky, making you forget you are in the middle of the city. The sodium-calcium chloride spring that wells up from deep underground gently envelops the skin, and one of the rock-built baths serves the source water just as it is, warmed and continuously flowing in a free-flowing style. There are also pot baths you can enjoy all to yourself and recline baths where you can stretch out, so time slips by as you move from one bath to another. The sauna area centers on a tower sauna, with a steam sauna in the men’s bath and a salt sauna in the women’s bath serving their own roles. The facility also has a bedrock bath, so you can spend the whole day sweating and relaxing.
A natural hot spring poured into the open-air and indoor baths surrounded by large trees. The sodium-calcium chloride spring drawn from deep underground is gentle on the skin, and the warmth lingers even after you get out of the water. One of the rock-built bathtubs is filled with source water warmed and poured in just as it is, so you can surrender yourself to the fresh water continuously flowing from the spout. There are also single-person pot baths and recline baths, making it pleasant to move between different bathing positions as you make your way through the baths.
A high-concentration carbonated spring set in the indoor bath. If you sit quietly in the lukewarm water, tiny bubbles begin to cling to your skin, and before long your whole body takes on a faint rosy hue. Even though it does not feel hot, warmth rises from within and you can feel the blood flowing all the way to your fingertips. Because it warms you without putting strain on the body, it is also a comfortable place to catch your breath between the sauna and the baths.
A tower sauna characterized by its tall, tiered seating structure. The higher you go, the stronger the heat; the lower you sit, the gentler it feels, so you can choose your place according to how you feel that day. As you surrender yourself to the dry heat for a while, sweat begins to trace down from your back, and before long your whole body is covered in sweat. In the stillness, while you count only your breathing, it is a room that clears even your mind.
A gentle, heat-filled room in the men’s bath, filled with white steam. When you breathe in, the moist air softly soothes your throat, and even if you are not good with dry, high heat, you can sit there without bracing yourself. The steam clinging to your skin gradually draws out sweat, and before you know it your whole body is lightly damp. It is the kind of place you would choose when you want to warm your body slowly and without rushing.
A salt sauna prepared in the women’s bath, where you spend time with salt on your skin. As you place the grains on your body and wait quietly, the salt begins to dissolve along with the sweat, and each stroke changes the feel of your skin. The gentle heat and moist air release tension, and after rinsing off, only a smooth, silky sensation remains. It is a space for those who want to take their time and get themselves into balance.
A cold water bath that cools down the heat built up in the sauna. If you lower yourself in slowly, starting with your hands and feet farthest from your heart, the flush of heat quietly fades and a cool film settles over the surface of your skin. Once your breathing has settled, step out to the open-air area where the trees grow thick; the wind passing through the leaves brushes over your wet skin and lets the tension drain from your body. Taking outdoor air baths while looking up at the trees is one of this facility’s special luxuries.
A soothing bedrock bath layered with mineral-rich active stones and tourmaline. When you lie down wearing the dedicated attire, far-infrared heat reaches deep into your body and sweat seeps out silently. Because there is none of the breathlessness of a sauna, you can feel your stiffness loosening and your circulation returning as you drift drowsily. Without worrying about the time, you can repeat the cycle of warming up and resting to your heart’s content.
Irregular Holidays
Entry is strictly prohibited for anyone with tattoos, body art, or tattoo stickers.
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JAPAN'S FINEST ONSEN & SAUNA
The Finest Onsen & Sauna in Japan
61 SELECTIONS
Most of what we surveyed never even made it onto this site. This book is a further cut from what did. Our editor bathed in every onsen and sauna in it, and wrote only what they confirmed on the ground.
